Disc with embedded flash memory and disc drive

ABSTRACT

A disc has an outer section on which digital media can be recorded and a core in its center in which a flash memory is embedded with the core having a central hole and electrical contacts to the flash memory. A disc drive has a drive spindle that is to extend into the disc core central hole with one of the spindle or spindle hub having electrical contacts to engage with the core electrical contacts so that data can be written into and/or read from the core flash memory by electronic components of the drive.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional patent application of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/969,416, filed Jan. 4, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,667.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is for a disc having a center core with anembedded flash memory to store information and a drive for writing intoand reading the information from the disc flash memory.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Discs that store digital information are well known. Discs are ofdifferent construction and use different formats to store differenttypes of information such as data, computer application programs, andmusic and video media. For equal physical size of the different discs avideo disc usually stores the greatest amount of data, often severalhundred megabytes. In today's environment, digital video discs (DVDs)and High Definition DVDs also are being used as the source of varioustypes of games both for computer operated games and games operated fromdedicated systems or consoles, such as Sony Play Station, Microsoft XBox and similar systems.

In game playing use, a user inserts the DVD disc into the game consoleand starts playing. However, in using the discs an inconveniencesometimes is present. This is that a user of the disc often generatescustom information that he might wish to access at a later time. Suchcustom information might be the level of the game being played, point ofstopping, data of competition where several people are playing the gamefrom the same disc, and others. For gaming systems, the custominformation acquired while playing the game usually is stored on thegame console itself. If a game disc is brought to another console, allcustom data previously used is not present. Sometimes the game consolehas a separate memory card that stores the custom information and theuser manually moves the memory card over to the new console. However,this means that the memory cards must be purchased and carried togetherwith the game disc to the new console. This is somewhat inconvenient inthat the user has two different items to purchase and to transport andmate with each other. A similar problem exists with discs that storeother types of data, such as application programs, where it would bedesirable to be able to easily access custom settings to operate theprogram. Accordingly, a need exists for an inexpensive and scalable wayto combine a disc for distribution with the ability to keep customsetting information with the disc.

SUMMARY

The invention provides a disc that includes a flash memory and a discdrive that communicates with the disc flash memory. The disc has thephysical size and uses the standard formats for storing information asconventional discs, such as a DVD disc. In the disc of the invention theplastic interior rim, or core, at the disc center is replaced by a corethat includes an embedded flash memory. Flash memory is a conventionalnon-volatile computer memory that can be electrically erased andreprogrammed. It is a specific type of EEPROM (electrically erasableprogrammable memory) that is erased and programmed in large blocks andis used in applications such as PDAs (personal digital assistants) andlaptop computers, digital audio players, digital cameras and mobilephones.

The disc having the flash memory is inserted into a compatible discdrive that has the necessary electronic components for reading from andwriting to the disc flash memory. The disc has contacts that areconnected to its flash memory and the drive has mating contactsconnected to its electronic components so that the drive can “talk to”the disc flash memory. In one embodiment the spindle of the disc drivehas contacts on its periphery that mate with contacts on the discextending from the flash memory onto the peripheral wall of the disccore center hole. In another embodiment the disc has a tab that extendsinto a disc alignment slot on the spindle with the mating contacts beingon the disc tab and in the spindle slot. In still a further embodimentthe contacts from the flash memory are on the bottom of the disc andmate with contacts on the drive spindle hub. All of these embodimentsmake it possible to write information to or read it from the disc flashmemory even while the disc is playing. The information that can bewritten into and read from the flash memory includes all of the custominformation referred to above. Other customization information includesthe last location in a movie, extras of the movie already viewed, othercustom information about movie watching experience, etc. The disc of theinvention is backward compatible with prior art drives since it has thesame or compatible physical characteristics as standard discs.

In another embodiment of the invention, the disc core having the flashmemory can be removed and placed inside another disc in the event thefirst disc gets scratched, or if the user wants to upgrade to morestorage flash memory capacity for use with the media on his disc. Italso permits the custom data stored in the disc core to be transportedby moving only the core.

In another embodiment of the invention is a method that includesproviding a disc having an outer section on which digital data isrecorded and an inner core having a central hole and a flash memory withelectrical contacts. The electrical contacts of the flash memory areengaged with drive electrical contacts of a motor spindle or a hub of adisc drive, and while rotating the disc in the disc drive about themotor spindle that extends into said central hole, data is read from orwritten data to the flash memory via the drive electrical contacts. Inparticular embodiments, one or any combination may also be employed: thecontacts of the disc core extend onto the periphery of a wall of thecore that forms the central hole and the drive electrical contacts areaccessible from the outer periphery of said drive spindle; the core mayhave an alignment tab extending from into the central hole and the coreelectrical contacts are on this tab, and the drive spindle has avertical slot into which the alignment tab fits and the drive electricalcontacts are in the spindle slot; the core electrical contacts may be ona surface of the core and the drive electrical contacts are on the hub;and further while rotating the disc, data is simultaneously opticallyread from the disc outer section and electrically read from the flashmemory.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent upon reference to the following specification and annexeddrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a standard disc, such as of the DVD type, withthe data section and the plastic center core with its hole.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the disc of the invention with core having theflash memory.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view, partly broken away, of the disc corewith the flash memory and its electrical connections.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a tray of a drive for reading fromand/or writing to the flash memory of the disc of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5A is a plan view of a disc core having an alignment tab and FIG.5B is an elevational view of the drive spindle showing anotherembodiment of an arrangement for making electrical connection betweenthe disc flash memory and external components of the drive.

FIG. 6A is a bottom plan view of another type of disc core and FIG. 6B atop view of the spindle hub of the drive showing another embodiment ofthe connection between the flash memory and the drive.

FIG. 7 is fragmentary view in cross section showing a disc in which thecore having the flash memory can be removed and replaced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a conventional disc 10, such as a DVD or HD DVD disc, thatstores digital data. Such a conventional disc typically has a centralcore 12 of a clear or colored plastic material with a central hole 14through which the spindle of a player and/or recorder drive is to extendto rotate the disc. Concentrically surrounding the core 12 is thesection 16 of the disc, hereafter referred to as the media section, onwhich the information or media in its designated format is to be readout from and/or recorded onto. The media containing section 16 istypically formed of a base of polycarbonate on the lower surface ofwhich the digital media is recorded. The upper surface of the base iscovered by a reflective material, such as a layer of aluminum, which inturn is covered by a protective layer of acrylic plastic.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the disc 20 of theinvention retains the media section 16 of the conventional disc on whichthe digital data or media is stored. The disc 20 of the invention has acentral core 22, preferably of a plastic material, with the usual centerhole 14 for the drive spindle. Embedded in the core 22 is one or moresemiconductor flash memory elements 24 as well as one or more sets ofcontacts 26 for the flash memory. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 the flashmemory 24 is on the top of the core and the contacts 26 extenddownwardly on the peripheral wall of the core that surrounds the corecenter hole 14 and are to make contact with corresponding contacts onthe spindle of a disc drive, described below. As an alternative, theflash memory can be on the bottom of the core and the contacts 26 extendupwardly on the core center hole peripheral wall. Either arrangementpermits appropriate electronic circuitry of the drive to be able towrite data into and/or read it from the core flash memory 24.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the core 22. There is a base layer 30of plastic or other suitable material on which the one or more flashmemories 24 are placed or deposited. That is, a discrete flash memorychip can be mounted on the top or bottom of the core base layer 30 or ina recess in the base layer. As an alternative the transistors and othercomponents and circuits of the flash memory are directly deposited onthe base layer using any conventional semiconductor memory manufacturingtechnique. The flash memory is of the desired storage capacity. Themanufacturing process also includes laying down the appropriate numberof electrical contacts 26, which depends on the flash memoryconfiguration, to connect to the flash memory 24. In the embodiments ofFIGS. 2 and 3 the contacts 26 extend on the periphery of the core 22center hole 14 so as to be able to contact corresponding contacts on adrive spindle so as to enable reading from or writing to the flashmemory 24. FIG. 3 shows only one set of contacts 26. FIG. 2 shows foursets of contacts 26 spaced about 90 degrees apart around the peripheryof the core hole 14. Both configurations are illustrative only and anydesired number of contact sets can be used. If more that one set ofcontacts is used, then appropriate electrical traces would be depositedon the core base layer 30 to connect the corresponding contacts of thesets to the flash memory. A layer 32 of a protective material such asplastic is placed on the core base layer 30 to cover the flash memory 24and the contacts 26. Additional layers or patches of insulating materialcan be provided on the core to insulate the electrical traces betweenplural sets of contacts 26.

FIG. 4 shows a player/recorder (read/write) drive 31 that is for thedisc 20 of the invention as well as for conventional discs. The drive 31is shown as having a tray 34 that slides in and out of a housing 35having a circuit board 36 with electronic components for performingread/write operation to the disc media section 16 and the flash memory24. Tray 34 has a circular depression 37 in which the disc 20 is torest. A spindle 42 that is to extend into the disc center hole 14projects upwardly from a flat base 43 that is mounted on a disc drivemotor (not shown). As the drive motor rotates a disc resting on thespindle base 43 rotates with it. The spindle 42 has at least one set ofelectrical contacts 46 on its outer periphery that are to mate with thecontacts 26 of the disc 20. There is an appropriate type of connectorthat provides electrical connection with the spindle contacts 46 as thespindle rotates and leads within the spindle 42 from such connector andthrough a flat cable 49 to the electronic components on the drivecircuit board 36. As seen, the drive 31 is able to write to and/or readfrom the disc flash memory 24 even while the disc is rotating. The laseroptics 39 for reading from and/or writing to the disc media section 16are illustratively shown in a depressed track of the tray and are movedacross the disc as it is rotated. There are electrical connections fromthe laser optics 39 through the cable 49 to the electronic components onthe circuit board 36 so that information can be recorded on and/or readfrom the disc media section 16.

The drive shown in FIG. 4 is to be representative of all of the types ofdrives in which the tray carries the disc drive motor and its spindleand the tray is moved into and out of a housing in which the driveelectronic components are located; or in which a tray that extends outof and is retractable back into the housing has an open bottom and thedrive motor spindle extends through the disc hole 14 when the tray isretracted back into the housing; or a stationary tray accessible from aslot in the front of the housing through which the disc is loaded intothe tray. The drive also applies to stand alone drives and drives foundin game consoles. All of these types of drives can have their spindlesmodified to have their drive spindles and/or hubs modified to have thenecessary electrical connections and contacts to work with the flashmemory of the disc 20. Also, all of the drives will be backwardcompatible for use with conventional discs.

In operation of the invention, the disc 20 is loaded into the tray 34with the contacts 26 to the flash memory 24 of the disc core engagedwith the contacts 46 on the drive spindle 42 or on the spindle base 43.There can be indicia on the tray and/or disc to aid in proper alignmentand engagement of the disc and spindle contacts 26 and 46. Anothermanner of obtaining alignment is to place a vertical slot in the drivespindle and a mating tab extending from the disc core 22 into the centerhole 14 to fit in the spindle slot. Such a drive would still be backwardcompatible for conventional discs.

FIG. 5A shows the core 22 with an alignment tab 25 as described above.Here the flash memory 24 is embedded in the core also as describedabove. The flash memory contacts 26 extend over the edge of the tabwall. In FIG. 5B the spindle 42 of the drive is shown as having a slot47 having a bottom wall 48 and on whose inner vertical wall 49 are thecontacts 46 that are to mate with the disc contacts 26. As analternative to the mating contact arrangement shown the contacts 26 canbe only on the flat lower surface of the core tab 25 and the spindlecontacts 46 on the slot bottom wall 48.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show another embodiment in which the flash memorycontacts 26 are on the lower surface of the core 22 and the matingcontacts 46 of the drive are located on the spindle hub 43 flat base. Inthis embodiment there can be indicia on the disc and/or drive tray 34 toalign the contacts 26 and 46 or the tab and slot arrangement of FIGS. 5Aand 5B can be used

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the disc 20 in which the central core 22is removable. Here, there are one or more mating ribs and grooves 52 and54 on the outer periphery of the core 22 and the inner periphery of thedisc media section 16. This permits the core 22 having the flash memory24 to be press fit or snapped into the disc media section 16. Therefore,a user of the disc 20 can remove the core 22 and use it with anotherdisc if the disc media section has become damaged. This saves the custominformation. Also, a user can carry the removable core from place toplace to be inserted as the core for another disc 20. Also, two usersmight be playing the same game on a competitive basis. Both users canuse his custom information merely by inserting his core 22 into themedia section of the same game disc. Further, the core alone with itsflash memory can be used as the equivalent of a removable storage disc.

All types of conventional data can be recorded onto and read from themedia section 16 of the disc 20 and any desired data can be written intoand read from the flash memory. In a modification of this the mediasection 16 can be made read only and the flash memory 24 be read/write.A display of the drive properties would show the disc media section 16as being full and the flash drive 24 having whatever free memory beingavailable to be written into.

Other uses of the disc 22 would be where the media section 16 has anapplication program and content is written back to the flash memory forstorage in proximity to the application itself. Applications could addadditional content to the flash memory portion of the disc at any timeto aid in securing the content. Updates can be added to the flash memoryso that when an application is installed from the disc media the userdoesn't have to immediately download the updates. This is especiallyuseful on a stand-alone system that is not connected to the Internet. Amusic album can be burned onto the disc as well as contain digitalversions on the flash memory. Digital signatures can be stored on theflash memory showing ownership of the music on the disc. Licensinginformation can be listed in the flash memory and updated when newlicenses are acquired. It is seen as particularly advantageous for agaming environment where users move from one console to another atdifferent times.

While the disc is spinning, data can be read and written to the embeddedflash memory via the connectors. To the computer it will appear as anadditional removable media drive (F: drive, for example) with anindicator that the drive is embedded into the disc located in DVD DriveE. Over time computers would be enhanced to show the new DVD/Flash drivebut current computers could be accommodated. The flash drive generallyhas the same dimensions and similar weight to the plastic interior of atraditional disc so these discs are entirely compatible with existingdrives. The inside rim contains the connectors to communicate with thespindle that holds the disc in place and spins it. Because theconnectors are securely fitted to the spindle in the disc drive, theflash drive can be written to while the disc is in use. The flash drivecan be popped out of one disc and put inside another disc, making itportable and upgradable.

Specific features of the invention are shown in one or more of thedrawings for convenience only, as each feature may be combined withother features in accordance with the invention. Alternative embodimentswill be recognized by those skilled in the art and are intended to beincluded within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the abovedescription should be construed as illustrating and not limiting thescope of the invention. All such obvious changes and modifications arewithin the patented scope of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A drive for a disc for digital media, said disc having anouter section on which data is recorded and an inner core having acentral hole and an alignment tab extending into said central hole, saidinner core including a flash memory with at least one electricalcontact, said at least one electrical contact extending from said flashmemory onto a peripheral wall of said inner core forming said hole, saiddrive comprising: a drive spindle to extend into said central hole ofsaid inner core, said drive spindle having a vertical slot toaccommodate said alignment tab of said inner core; and at least oneelectrical contact on an outer periphery of said drive spindle to engagesaid at least one electrical contact of said flash memory, wherein saidvertical slot is configured to ensure alignment and engagement betweensaid at least one electrical contact of said flash memory and said atleast one electrical contact of said drive spindle.
 2. The drive asclaimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one electrical contact on saidouter periphery of said drive spindle is in said slot.
 3. The drive asclaimed in claim 1 further comprising electronic components connected tosaid at least one electrical contact on said outer periphery of saiddrive spindle for reading data from and/or writing data into said flashmemory on said disc.
 4. The drive as claimed in claim 1, wherein said atleast one electrical contact on said outer periphery of said drivespindle comprises a plurality of electrical contacts.
 5. A drive for adisc for digital media, said disc having an outer section on which datais recorded and an inner core having a central hole and an alignment tabextending into said central hole, said inner core including a flashmemory with at least one electrical contact, said at least oneelectrical contact extending from said flash memory, said drivecomprising: a drive spindle to extend into said central hole of saidinner core, said drive spindle having a vertical slot to accommodatesaid alignment tab of said inner core and a drive spindle base forsupporting said disc; and at least one electrical contact on said drivespindle base to engage said at least one electrical contact of saidflash memory, wherein said vertical slot is configured to ensurealignment and engagement between said at least one electrical contact ofsaid flash memory and said at least one electrical contact of said drivespindle base.
 6. The drive as claimed in claim 5 wherein said at leastone electrical contact on said drive spindle base is in said slot. 7.The drive as claimed in claim 5 further comprising electronic componentsconnected to said at least one electrical contact on said drive spindlebase for reading data from and/or writing data into said flash memory onsaid disc.
 8. The drive as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least oneelectrical contact on said drive spindle base comprises a plurality ofelectrical contacts.